Adjusting slide or buckle for bands, webbing, or the like



June 7, 1938. a T. WALKIER .ET AL 2,119,961

ADJUSTING SLIDE OR BUCKLE FOR BAND S, WEBBING, OR THE LIKE Filed May 14, 1937 I 1NVENTOR5 5/1, 55/? 7' THU/W75 MEL/(ER mm HERBERT/ IMHO M17170 BY I g lToausY' Fatented June 7, 1938 PATENT OFFICE ADJUSTING SLIDE OR BUCKLE FOR BANDS, WEBBING, OR THE LIKE Gilbert Thomas Walker and Herbert Howard Wood, Birmingham,

England, assignors to Thomas Walker Limited, Birmingham, England, a British company Application May 14, 1937, Serial No. 142,536 In Great Britain April 30,1936

4 Claims.

This invention relates to adjusting slides or buckles for use in connection with bands, webbing and the like generally, but particularly for use in adjusting the bands or webbing of braces for personal wear. The said slides or buckles are of the kind comprising a slide or buckle frame having top and bottom bars behind which the band or webbing is passed, and having one or more middle or intermediate bars or supports over the front of which the said band or webbing is engaged; the slide or buckle also having provision either for the attachment of a return-end of the band or webbing, or for the attachment of button-engaging parts or tabs, so that by moving the slide or buckle along the band or webbing the effective length of the latter may be varied as desired. The object of the presentinvention is to provide a slide or buckle of the above type, having improved and more eificient means for preventing the same from creeping or moving along the band or webbing, particularly in the case when the slide is used with braces or other articles of personal wear, as in such case the body movements made by the wearer tend to cause the creeping of the slide owing to alternate tensioning and slackening of the band.

According to the invention an adjusting slide or buckle for bands, webbing or the like comprises a frame having upper and lower bars or members behind which the band or webbing is passed and an intermediate support for said band or webbing; in combination with a gripping member mounted upon the slide or buckle frame and adapted to be attached either to a return-end of the band or Webbing or to button-engaging parts or tabs, the said gripping member comprising a transverse part adapted to lie across the front of the band or webbing and movable in an inward direction transversely to the plane of the slide or buckle frame, so as to grip the band or webbing. The frame of the slide or buckle may be provided with a pair of spaced intermediate supporting bars for the band or webbing between which the gripping member is slidably guided, whilst the gripping member, which may comprise a rectangular or other frame having a front top gripping bar provided with teeth or serrations, may be maintained in engagement with the band or webbing by the pull on a return-end of the latter, or on the tabs or button-engaging parts. A lever or clip device is provided to maintain the gripping member in engagement with the band or webbing and cause it to lie close to the slide.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing represents a front view of a brace slide provided with a gripping member and lever in accordance with this invention, showing the slide applied to the band or webbing, with the gripping member at- 5 tached to a return-end of the latter.

Figure 2 represents a vertical section through the fitting, on the line 2-2, Figure 1 showing how it is attached and applied to the brace band or webbing.

Figure 3 is a front view of the fitting without the band or webbing.

Figure 4 is a section through the fitting, without the band or webbing, on the line 44,' Figure 3.

Figure 5 shows the two frame parts of the fitting separated, before the lever has been attached.

Figures 6 and '7 illustrate front and side views of a further arrangement, wherein brace tabs are attached to the gripping member, instead of the 20 latter being connected to a return-end of the band.

Referring to Figures 1 to 5 of the drawing, the improved brace slide comprises a substantially rectangular frame having top and bottom trans- 2.5 verse bars I and 2 and a pair of parallel intermediate bars 3 disposed across the middle of the frame, and integral with the sides thereof. The said intermediate bars 3 are spaced from the adjacent top and bottom bars I and 2 by transverse 39 slots, whilst they are separated from one another by a slot 4, and the main portion 5 of the brace band is passed behind the top bar I, over the two middle bars 3 and under the lower bar 2, as shown in Figure 2.

Mounted within the said frame of the brace slide is a gripping member consisting of a substantially rectangular open frame inserted, from the front through the slot 4 between the two intermediate bars 3 of the brace slide. The front 40 upper portion of the said gripping member consists 'of a transverse bar 6 carried by the side members I which extend through the said slot 4 of the brace slide, being joined at their rear bottom ends by'a bar 8 which lies at the rear of the slide frame. The lower or inner edge of the said top bar 6 of the gripping member is provided with gripping teeth or serrations 9, whilst hinged to the top bar I of the slide member is a lever ID. This lever, which may be formed from sheet metal, is loosely jointed or connected to the gripping member by means of an integral tongue l3 which is curled around the toothed top bar 6 of the said gripping member, as shown in Figures 2 and 4. The outer or lower "any material;

end of this lever I!) is bent to'provide a transverse resilient rib l4 constituting a catch which is adapted to engage over the lower edge of a forwardly-set part of the bottom bar 2 of the brace slide with a snap-action, so that it may be detachably retained. in; engagement therewith owing to its resilient construction. A

The main part 5 of the brace band is passed over the intermediate bars 3 of the slide, behind the top and bottom bars land 2 of the latter, as stated, the gripping member being free to move through the slot between the said intermediate bars the teeth 9 of the gripping member being opposed to the band, the retur'n-endia of which is attached to the lower rear bar 8 of the gripping member. A pull on the said return-end thus moves the gripping member downwards and rearwards in an oblique direction in a plane transverse to the brace slide frame, so that the teeth 9 enter the material of the band, whilst by turning down the lever Ifl,.so that the transverse rib l4 thereon snaps over the bottom bar 2 of the slide the teeth 8 of the gripping member are positively held in engagement with the band 5, so that the latter is held securelyv in its adjusted position. The lever, when turned down, also causes the gripping member to lie close-to the brace slide giving a neat and flat appearance when the fitting is in use, whilst it enables a positive grip to be obtained on bands or'webbing of Further, when the lever I0 is raised the gripping member attached to the lever is moved upwards and the teeth H] are immediately disengaged from the band. The fitting may then be moved freely by means of the lever along the band, in one direction or the other, according to the adjustment required.

In the form of the invention shown in Figures 6 and 7, the fitting is identical with that illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 but the bottom bar 8 of the gripping member is attached to buttonengaging tabs l1, whilst the bandiywhich is passedbehind the bars I and 2 of the slide over the intermediate bars of the'latter, as previously described, is provided with a lose end, instead of the end of the band being returned and attached to the gripping member. In this case, when the gripping member is free a pull on the tabs l1 causes the teeth 9 on the gripping member to be moved into engagement with the band, the gripping member being finally secured by the lever l0, which may, if desired, be omitted.

What we claim is:-

1. An adjusting slide for bands, comprising a in front of the slide frame, and a lever hinged to the upper bar of the slide frame and attached to the top bar of the gripping frame.

2. An adjusting slide for bands comprising a frame having upper and lower bars, a pair of intermediate bars on the slide frame, a gripping frame movable between the intermediate bars in a plane disposed obliquely and transversely to the plane of the. slide frame, a top gripping bar on the gripping frame disposed in front of the slide frame, a lower bar on the gripping frame disposed rearwardly of the slide frame,and a lever hinged to the top bar of the slide frame and connected to the gripping bar of the gripping frame. Y

3. An adjusting slide for bands comprising a frame having upper and lower bars for engaging in front of the band, an intermediate part. for engaging behind the band, a gripping frame movable through the slide frame transverselyand obliquely to the plane of the latter, an upper gripping bar on the gripping-frame for engaging the front of the frame, a lower bar on the gripping frame for attachment to a return-end. of the band, or to a button-engaging partor tabs, a

lever hinged to a top bar of the slide frame and jointed to the upper bar of the-gripping frame, and a catch on the lever adapted to engage over the bottom bar of the slide frame.

4. An adjusting slide for bands comprising a frame, upper and lower bars on the slide frame, a pair of intermediate bars on the slideframe, a gripping frame movable through the slide frame transversely and obliquely to the plane of the latter, an upper gripping bar on the. gripping frame disposed in front of the slide frame, teeth on the said upper grippingbar, a lower bar on the gripping frame'disposed behind the slide frame, a lever hinged to ajtop bar of the slide-frame and jointed to the upper bar of the gripping frame and a projection ,on the lever adapted to engage over the bottom bar'of th, slide frame.

HERBERT HOWARD WOOD.

GILBERT THOMAS WALKER. 

